The golf team finished its season this weekend with an 11th place finish at the GLVC Tournament.
The Bulldogs placed two players in the top 30 of the tournament. Brooke Kelley finished in a tie for 26th with a three-day score of 249. Lindsey Repp finished 28th with a score of 250.
Kelley had 31 career events played as a Bulldog. Her finish this weekend was her 16th career finish in the top 20, and she had a career scoring average of 86.9 in 64 rounds. Additionally, Kelley was awarded The James R. Spalding Sportsmanship award for the second straight year. This award recognizes Truman State University athletes that show good sportsmanship and ethical behavior both on and off the field as well as in the classroom.
The Golf Team have three other graduating seniors. Katie Posto, Peyton Sandfort and Madison Weilbacher have all played for the last time as Bulldogs.
“It is always tough when our seniors graduate and we lose their experience, skill and leadership, and they will all be greatly missed,” head coach Clint Fitzpatrick said. “It will be especially hard this season when we lose our No. 1 player and captain Brooke Kelley. Words can’t describe what she has meant to this team over the last four years. Nobody works harder than she does”
The golf team had an inconsistent season after the departure of three players last year, however, there was still a lot of optimism going into the season.
“We have made some very big strides with a young team and are excited to see them all come together for our last event this year,” Fitzpatrick said. “There are some outstanding teams in the conference we have a hard time competing with, but the majority of the teams we will be able to challenge and look for another good showing.”
The Bulldogs struggled to begin their spring season. At the Midwestern State University Spring Invitational they struggled with bad weather conditions and a number of tough teams as they finished last in the field of 15.
University of Central Missouri’s Jennies Invitational proved a little better for the Bulldogs as they finished 10th in a tough 14-team field. They were led once again by Kelley who finished 20th in the field.
The next tournament garnered similar results for the Bulldogs. They finished 11th out of 16 in the UMSL Spring Invitational. At the University Illinois Springfield Invitational, they finished fifth out of eight.
“Our team is very young with three of our starting five being underclassmen,” Fitzpatrick said. “It has been great to see them come in and compete for a starting spot right away and progress as quickly as they have. I still don’t think any of our players have hit their peak yet for this season, so I’m excited to see it all come together for them.”